Recycling with Children at Home

Karen Aleo

Managing Editor of Britannica for Parents
Karen has a master’s degree in education in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University. She is also the author and editor of several books for young readers.

Recycling as a family teaches children about the importance of taking care of our planet.

Our planet Earth. It is our home, and we must protect it and care for it. Teaching about recycling is just one small but important step in raising “green” children.

Recycling Tips

To recycle means to process and reuse a material, such as glass or paper. When we talk with young children about recycling, we can make this concept more meaningful by connecting recycling to nature. We know that recycling and reusing items keeps waste out of landfills and reduces pollution from waste that hurts our environment, but young children may not be ready to understand the big picture. One way to introduce young children to recycling is by focusing on something they probably already know about: trees. Recycling paper reduces the number of trees cut down for new products.

When you are outdoors with your child, talk about trees. Take time to admire, touch, and observe trees. If you can, explore forests and natural parks with your children. Being out and about in nature can be an incredibly powerful experience, and it will give meaning to your family’s recycling activities at home.

Back at home, when you place paper or cardboard in a recycling bin, explain to your child that recycling paper helps save trees. Invite your child to draw pictures of trees and post them near your recycling bin. Invite your child to take charge of recycling certain items, like placing junk mail flyers or envelopes in the recycling bin.

As your child grows older, you can explore recycling in greater depth. Children’s books like Why Should I Recycle by Jen Green can jumpstart conversations. The EPA provides a helpful list of items that can be recycled, such as paper, cardboard, certain plastics, glass, and food cans. If you have any questions about what you may be able to recycle in your community, visit Earth911. This site will help you figure out what you can recycle in your community. Plug in your zip code and the material you wish to recycle, and you can find out whether it is recyclable and whether the material needs to be taken to a special location.

In addition to recycling, we can also teach children to reuse materials at home. For example, sometimes the perfect game or craft is hiding in your recycling bin. Cardboard boxes can be reused to create puzzles, and egg cartons can be reused for projects like planting seedlings. Recycled materials can be used in creative ways, and your children may already have plenty ideas of how to do that. Books such as Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials by Kimberly McLeod will spark your child’s imagination.

Connecting your child to the importance of recycling through a love of nature will “plant a seed” of understanding in childhood. Small actions can lead to big results. The value of modeling and teaching ways to care for our planet will last a lifetime.